The entire concept of Netflix for e-books has been a resounding failure and most of the companies participating in this space are either out of business or have their backs to the wall. This is primarily due to big publishers being notoriously resistant to new distribution methods. Comics on the other hand, are an untapped market. Marvel is the only company of note that has a subscription program with Marvel Unlimited, but you will only find older titles. Scribd is also in the business, but tends to only offer graphic novels and not single issues. ComicBlitz is hoping to disrupt this space with a new unlimited program that features close to 2,000 digital comics.
ComicBlitz, the all you can read digital comic book app, launched a few weeks ago and is available on iPad. The iOS app gives subscribers unlimited access to more than 2,000 comics and over 50,000 pages for titles such as Bloodshot, Red Sonja, Fathom, Grimm Fairy Tales, The Little Prince and many more.
“We want to make digital comics more affordable, and get more people reading them than ever before,” said Chief Executive Officer, Jordan Plosky. “We promise subscribers will get a true binge reading experience for digital comic books and graphic novels.”
ComicBlitz will carry an ever expanding catalog of outstanding, award winning content from the best publishers in the industry, launching with Valiant, Dynamite, Zenescope, Action Lab, Aspen, Red 5, Alterna, and more.
Many people are wondering when any of the bigger publishes will contribute their content to the platform. It is very unlikely that Marvel and DC will buy into it, but Dark Horse and Image tend to be more progressive.
This app does have its share of problems. It costs $10 to subscribe, but you can’t do it within the app. This is due to ComicBlitz not wanting to give Apple a percentage of each subscription purchase, so you need to visit their website to register an account and pay for your sub. There is also no Android app yet, but the company promises that one will be fourth coming at some indeterminate time in the future.
Michael Kozlowski is the editor-in-chief at Good e-Reader and has written about audiobooks and e-readers for the past fifteen years. Newspapers and websites such as the CBC, CNET, Engadget, Huffington Post and the New York Times have picked up his articles. He Lives in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
